A Trial Of Hearts
by Fallenangelkalona
Summary: Chelsea and Vaughn fall in love
1. The Meeting

Meeting.

~_**Chelsea~**_

As I woke up that morning to a knock on my door, I never in my life thought I'd fall in love. I opened the door and saw the most beautiful eye (seeing as though the other was covered by glossy silver hair) I'd ever seen. It was a deep, rich violet, and it was churning with hidden emotion.

"Uh, hi there. You're the new rancher Chelsea, right?" asked the man with beautiful eyes.

"Yeah. And you would be…?"

"Vaughn. I'm the animal transporter for your island now. I'll be bringing in animals from the city for you to buy. I'll see you around, I guess," he stammered coldly.

"Um, okay. B-bye, Vaughn."

He walked out of my house, and I decided that it was time for me to get to work. I walked outside after gathering my tools, and I was startled to see Taro waving at me.

"Oh, hello, Taro. I didn't see you there. Did you need anything, by chance?"  
The old man laughed and replied, "No, I just thought I'd give you a gift for always working so hard. Granted, it's a tad old, but it's still in good shape. I found it when I was unpacking some boxes earlier today."

"Oh, a fishing rod? Cool! Are you sure you want to give it to me?" I asked, puzzled.

"I'm too old to use it anymore, but I'm sure you'll be able to get some use out of it. Do you want me to show you how to use it?" Taro questioned, a curious gleam in his eyes.

I suddenly remembered about my twin cows, Besse and Happie. "Oh, well, I'm sort of behind this morning, but I'll stop by after work. Is that all right?"

Taro seemed pleased that I was eager to get to work and said, "Sure, sure. I'll see you later then."

As I waved and entered my barn, I was greeted by two hungry moos. "Morning, girls. Sorry I'm late. I ran into Taro outside, and I met the animal transporter, as well. He was a very interesting person. Come here, Besse, I need to brush you."

Pleasantly mooing, I brushed and milked both of my prized cows, until I realized that I was out of fodder. "Oh, dear. I'm sorry, but I have to walk down to Miss Mirabelle's and get some more fodder for you. I'll be back soon."

I petted Besse and Happie one more time and hurried down the road. When I arrived at Mirabelle's, the door was open and Elliot was loading crates into the shop. I skipped lightly to a crate, and when I reached down to pick it up a cold voice behind me caught my attention.

"What are you doing?" Vaughn asked, stepping in front of me.

"I was going to help you load these crates into Miss Mirabelle's shop. Would you rather me not help?" I asked, fervently wishing I'd never even left my house this morning.

"Oh. Well try not to hurt yourself, and don't say I didn't warn you."

I picked up the crate in front of me and felt a little stab of pain. I shifted the crate and saw that it was actually a cage, and I had cut my hand on a stray wire. Vaughn saw my hesitant move and I continued on into the shop. I sat down the cage I was carrying and turned to get another. Vaughn looked at the way I was holding my hand and then at the cage, seeing the wire.

"Seeing as though you can't handle anything without hurting yourself, I'll get the rest."

I could only stare at him. When I got up the nerve to say something, I replied through my teeth, "Seeing as though you can't go a full day without being rude, I'll just buy my fodder and leave." I then turned around and walked up to the counter where Miss Mirabelle was and asked politely, "Could I get thirty pieces of fodder delivered to my silo, please?" I gave her 100 gold and told her, "Keep the change, my good friend." I gave Vaughn one last glare and stormed out of the small shop.

As I left, I swore that I heard Vaughn mumble, "Damn. Why did I have to go and do that?"

While I was walking, a sudden burst of pain from my hand reminded me that my hand was bleeding from the cut I'd gotten. So I decided to take a detour to Chen's shop.

"Hey, there, Chelsea. What can I do for you?" Chen asked, and I gestured to my cut hand and smiled.

"Do you have any bandages, Chen? I cut my hand on an animal cage."

"Yep, I sure do," he said, pulling a box out from under the counter, "How many do you need?"

I thought for a moment and replied, "I'll take three. One for now and two for later, just in case."

"Here you are, Chelsea, and don't worry about the gold. They're on the house. Without you, this island would be nothing compared to what it is now."

I smiled a big smile and thanked him. I then walked out into the bright sunshine of the afternoon and happily headed home. I stopped into the barn and saw that Besse and Happie were waiting patiently. "Here you are, my girls. Enjoy." I gave them a piece of fodder each and scratched behind their ears. I decided that the weather was perfect for fishing, and headed to the beach.


	2. Ill

_**~Vaughn~**_

When the ship reached the Sunny Island dock, I saw a retreating figure in the darkness. A cloud passed from in front of the moon and I saw the familiar red bandanna, and I smiled. The wind began to pick up, so I hurried to the entrance of Mirabelle's shop and slipped inside. I went to the room that was mine while I was on the island and I jumped when Julia spoke from the darkened hallway.

"Vaughn? Can I talk to you for a second?" She seemed deeply worried, her forehead wrinkled in thought.

"Uhm, sure, Jules. What's up?" Mirabelle and I were the only ones allowed to call Julia by her childhood nickname.

"Well, I was worried about you when you left last week, because I know what's going on with you lately. I wanted to give you this." She slipped a blue feather into my hand and I nearly swallowed my tongue. She glanced up and laughed. "I'm not _asking_ you, I'm _telling_ you to give it to her. Oh, and you're the best man at Denny's wedding tomorrow. Goodnight." Julia turned and left me standing there, with a blue feather in my hand and a choice in my heart.

When Wednesday morning rolled around, I had made my decision.


	3. Shark

_**~Chelsea~**_

_Chelsea:_

_I'm so sorry for the way I've treated you. For heaven's sake, I made you cry. I feel ashamed that I did that to you, and I was hoping for you to allow me to apologize for the way I acted, even though I really don't deserve your kindness. If you would allow me to explain (I'd rather do it face to face) please meet me at the beach at midnight the next Wednesday I'm on the island. Truly, I am sorry. Please allow me this one chance to explain myself, even though, as I said before, I don't deserve it. _

_ Until then. –Vaughn_

I read and re-read the hastily written note I'd found on my table last night, underneath Vaughn's hat. Why did he want to explain? Rather, how could he explain? There's no explanation for why he hates me, and there's no explanation of why I love him. I think I will give him the chance to explain.

I then got up from the one chair I had at my table, and with a sigh, grabbed my tools and headed out. I hadn't expected to see a confused Julia at my doorstep.

"Chelsea, will you please explain what happened between you and Vaughn yesterday? He just walked away when I asked him this morning."

"It's nothing, really. He was just the same old rude Vaughn. But all he really did was comment on the cut I got from a cage and then help me with Besse as an apology. If he didn't specify, he probably didn't think much of it. Thank you for your concern about me, Julia. But what I'm concerned about is whether Elliot has asked you out on a date yet." I smiled ruefully at one of my best friends on the island, and she blushed a deep red.

"Yes, he did. He's taking me up to the mountain top for a date." She seemed extremely excited and I was happy.

"Well, unless you want to help me with my work, I suggest I get started." I smiled at her and watched her as she nodded.

"I'd be glad to help you, Chelsea. What are your cows' names again? I sell so many I forget their names." She looked at me with an apologetic smile.

We walked to the barn together, chatting about her upcoming date with Elliot, and she helped me finish twice as fast, because she fed, milked and brushed Happie while I did the same with Besse. When we were all done, I asked, "Have you ever taken care of crops before, Julia?" and when she shook her head no, I laughed and said, "Now's your chance to learn!" We laughed as I lead the way to my greenhouse, describing what to do.

"So all I do is tilt the can like this for each plant?" she questioned, demonstrating what she was talking about.

"Yes, that's exactly right. See, its not that hard, once you get used to it. Since you've helped me so much, let me treat you to a fresh salad. Would you like to help me harvest these cucumber and strawberries?" She smiled and laughed.

"Only if you teach me how!" We laughed and I taught her how to harvest strawberries while I picked ripe cucumber plants. With our arms loaded with extremely fresh produce, I led the way to my house.

"Just set them here, by the sink, and take a seat over at the table. I'll have this salad done in no time." I expertly cut the lettuce that I had bought from Chen, the cucumber that we had just picked, and the strawberries into a bowl and lightly tossed them with some orange pieces and some fresh lemon juice. "Here you go, Julia. It's my own recipe, too. Enjoy." As she ate her salad, I began to pack the leftover salad, some strawberries and cucumbers, and some fresh squeezed orange juice into a bag. When I was done, I set it on the table and said, "It's for your mother and you, in case you get hungry later."

Julia smiled and replied, "Chelsea, you are honestly the nicest person on this island. I really appreciate the lunch and for putting up with me this morning. Maybe we can do this again sometime. I had lots of fun. Well, I'd best be off. Bye."

She hugged me, and I walked her to the door and waved as she walked down the dirt road towards her mother's shop, with the bag I'd given her swinging by her side.

I went about the rest of my day as usual, and I decided to go fishing again. I walked to the beach and noticed that the abandoned house there was no longer abandoned. I walked to the door and lightly knocked. A man with a black bird on his shoulder and a fishing pole in his hand answered and asked, "You must be Chelsea, right? I'm Denny, and I love fishing."

He spied the pole in my hand and I asked, "I was actually about to fish a little myself. Would you care to join?"

He smiled a big smile and replied, "Sure! I'll meet you at the dock!" I turned away and began to walk to the dock, suddenly remembering when I was here and Vaughn sat beside me. I pushed the thought away and cast my line. I felt the tug and pulled out a huge shark. "Woah! Did you just catch that?" Denny ran up beside me and measured the fish. I nodded my head and still stared at the shark in my hands. "How long have you been fishing?" He was energetic, hoping that I had been fishing for a long time, and had gotten really good.

"I got this pole from Taro two days ago. This is the second time I've used it."

He stared at the shark in my hands and finally said, "Pierre would kill for this. He's been bugging me for weeks to catch him one. I suggest we take it to him. Or… oh, of course… did you want to keep it? I'm sorry I didn't ask sooner. I was caught up in the fish there for a minute."

I laughed and began to walk away. "Hey! Where are you going?" he yelled, running to catch up.

"To get Pierre off your back." I laughed and walked into Pierre Gourmet's house, marked by (you guessed it) a giant fork and knife above the threshold.


	4. The Ride

_**~Vaughn~**_

As the ship sailed away from Sunny Island, all I could think about were Chelsea's eyes. They were a clear, icy blue, but at the same time they were caring and loving. _Now I know what it feels like to be hated. It's even worse because I'm hated by the one girl I care about the most. Why am I such an idiot?_

When we reached land a day later, only one person was there to greet the ship. "Vaughn! No time to waste! I need you to deliver these two cows and this sheep to Flower Bud Village, to Melody of Gyro Ranch. Can you handle that? The farm is here, beside the river and she'll pay you there, but you'll be late for the train there if you don't hurry!" called my boss, Charles, pointing to a map in his hands. "Here, take it with you, you might need it.

"Yessir, boss. I'll be back before you know it." I said, taking the map and leading the animals away with me. The two calves were nameless, so I had to call them both 'girl.'

As I boarded the train, the conductor said, "Your seat's over there, or would you prefer staying with the animals?" I told him I'd stay with the animals and walked them to the stables. I looked again at the map of Flower Bud Village and saw that it was similar to Mirabelle's island. There was a beach to the south, a mountaintop to the north, and a mine right next to the mountain. I sighed and thought about Chelsea again and how five days from now, I was going to tell her how I felt about her. One of the nameless cows nudged me with her head, and I looked up. She mooed hungrily, so I reached into my bag and found the packages of fodder I took with me when I was transporting animals. I opened three packages and hand fed the pieces to the two cows and the sheep, brushing their fur afterwards. They mooed and baaed contentedly, and they soon fell asleep. After a while, I noticed that the train had began to slow and the conductor came and whispered, "We'll be reaching Flower Bud in about twenty minutes, so you should get ready for departure." I nodded thanks to the conductor and began to gather my things. When I picked up my personal bag, the box Chelsea had given me tumbled out and I looked at the collars again. _Why did she buy me such expensive gifts when I was so cruel to her? These must have gone for at least a thousand gold each. Maybe she knows that it's hard for me to get along with people…? _ I put them back in my bag right as the train lurched to a stop, and I stumbled against the wall a little. I gently woke the cows and the sheep, attaching rope to their collars and gently tugged. They woke and began to follow me off the train. I then slowly made my way to Gyro Ranch.


	5. The Harvest Goddess

_**~Chelsea~**_

For some odd reason, I decided to do my work wearing Vaughn's hat over my bandanna, and it helped a lot. It kept the heat off my scalp and the reminder of his eyes is what kept me going for that last day, before he returned to tell me everything. I had decided that night I found the letter to go, and just this morning I'd decided to tell him the truth: I loved him even though he hated me. Besse seemed to enjoy it when I wore the hat, and it was probably because it was Vaughn who cured her of that illness. I was grateful for that, but something he'd said made me think about him a lot. _"I'm done hurting you." _ Those words rang through my mind several times a minute, and I wondered what he meant by them. I walked out of my barn to see Gannon standing by the door of my house,

"Hey, Gannon!" I called, waving at him. He waved back, and I sprinted back to my house. "How are things today, Gannon? Eliza doing well?" I asked, somewhat breathless.

"Hey, Chelsea. Everything's good. Eliza wanted to come with me today, but Charlie invited her to the beach with him, but otherwise, she's doing well. I actually came to tell you that I upgraded all the roads you asked me to. Well, I'll be seeing you."

"Okay, Gannon. I appreciate it. Have a nice day!" I replied, waving as he left. I decided to go for a walk, and there was only one place on the island I hadn't visited: the jungle.

When I entered the jungle, the first thing I noticed was this huge tower behind a small hut. In front of the hut stood a man dressed in leopard skin. He saw me and ran into his hut. Curious, I followed. Inside, the man was speaking to an older man who I assumed was his father. "Weird creature… looked like us, but different… that's it, right there!" he said, pointing at me.

"Shea… that human, like us. My name Wada, his Shea. You?" the one named Wada asked.

"Chelsea. Nice to meet you. How long have you lived here?"

"Our tribe live here for centuries, long before your ancestors were born."

After having an extremely long and interesting conversation with them I glanced at my watch and exclaimed, "I have a lot to do, and the day's half gone! I'll visit you later, okay? Bye Shea, Wada." I turned and left, and I heard my stomach growl. I walked out of the jungle and spotted the Diner. _Luke probably can help me… his prices are always low._ I walked in the Diner and saw two of my friends eating lunch together, and they called me over. "Hey Lanna, Denny. Let me grab some food and I'll pull up a chair." I went up to the counter and ordered a salad, noodles and water. When my order was ready, Luke helped me carry it all to the table where Denny and Lanna sat.

"So, Chelsea, how was your day?" Asked Lanna, and I laughed and took bite of my noodles and got a sip of water.

"Long. I met some people up in the Jungle and I thought about fishing later." I smiled when Denny looked up at me from his food. "Do you guys want to join me?"

"Oh, no. We're actually going to spend some time together." Lanna blushed, and I finished my food and water quickly.

"Don't let me get in the way, then. I'll see you around." I went up to Luke and paid for my food. As I exited the diner, I was greeted by Elliot and Julia, walking and holding hands. I continued walking and soon found myself at the beach. As I sat there at the docks, I noticed a faint glow in the distance. I looked at my watch and said aloud, "Good Lord! It's nearly dawn!" I got up from the dock and walked quickly to my house, deep in thought. When I entered my house, I put Vaughn's hat back on the table and pretended that it wasn't there. Exhausted, I climbed into my bed and fell asleep.

"Chelsea? Hello? You awake yet?" I heard Denny's voice calling from the doorstep. I laughed and got up, putting on my bandanna. I lightly skipped to the door and opened it.

"Hey, Denny! What are you doing up so early?" I asked, gathering my tools and food.

"Well, actually…" He began, hesitant.

"Yes, Denny? Don't be shy, just go on." I smiled and waited patiently for him to continue.

"Well, I wanted you to help me make a decision… It's pretty big, so I need good advice. I'm thinking about giving Lanna a blue feather…. But I'm really nervous… Should I?" Denny had the blue feather tucked away in his purple bandanna, and I smiled a huge smile.

"Of course, Denny! If you love her, ask her for her hand in marriage. I know she'll say yes. Do you want me to help you do anything?" I asked, delight flooding through my veins.

"I kind of wanted you to be the maid of honor and I wanted Vaughn to be my best man…. Will you do that for me?"

"Of course I'll be the maid of honor. I'll go to Alisa and tell her that there is going to be a big, big wedding. Oh, and good luck, Denny!" I waved goodbye and ran to the forest. I entered the forest and saw the church had relocated next to the Harvest Goddess pond. I had wondered if there was really a Harvest Goddess, but I decided to find out some other time. I went inside the church and found Nathan standing in front of the podium.

"Hello, Chelsea. What brings you here today? To hear my sermon?" he asked.

"No, Nathan. Denny is going to propose to Lanna and he asked me to talk to you about the wedding. He can have it here, correct?" I rushed as I breathed, because I ran the whole way there.

"Of course, dear Chelsea. I just love weddings. Just tell him to stop by anytime and we'll talk about it. Well, now, I have preparations to make, don't I? Haha." Nathan laughed lightly and I waved goodbye and exited the church. I turned to look again at the Harvest Goddess pond and I stopped dead in my tracks. There was a woman in a flowing green dress standing on the water.

"Harvest Goddess?" I whispered, and she turned.

"Yes, Chelsea? Is there something you need help with?" she smiled a smile only a goddess would have.

"Uhm… well actually… you know certain things about people, right? Is Lanna going to say yes to Denny?" I hesitantly asked.

"Yes, my dear. She is. At the wedding, I will ring the wedding bells for them, to ensure a happily ever after. Well, I must go. I just wanted to meet you. If you need me again, just throw an offering into the pond. My favorites are strawberries and flowers. Goodbye!" She then disappeared into the depths of the pond, and I ran to meet Denny at his house.


	6. Decision

_**~Vaughn~**_

When the ship reached the Sunny Island dock, I saw a retreating figure in the darkness. A cloud passed from in front of the moon and I saw the familiar red bandanna, and I smiled. The wind began to pick up, so I hurried to the entrance of Mirabelle's shop and slipped inside. I went to the room that was mine while I was on the island and I jumped when Julia spoke from the darkened hallway.

"Vaughn? Can I talk to you for a second?" She seemed deeply worried, her forehead wrinkled in thought.

"Uhm, sure, Jules. What's up?" Mirabelle and I were the only ones allowed to call Julia by her childhood nickname.

"Well, I was worried about you when you left last week, because I know what's going on with you lately. I wanted to give you this." She slipped a blue feather into my hand and I nearly swallowed my tongue. She glanced up and laughed. "I'm not _asking_ you, I'm _telling_ you to give it to her. Oh, and you're the best man at Denny's wedding tomorrow. Goodnight." Julia turned and left me standing there, with a blue feather in my hand and a choice in my heart.

When Wednesday morning rolled around, I had made my decision.


	7. Bluebird

_**~Chelsea~**_

__That morning, I climbed to the mountaintop and searched for hours until I found what I was looking for. I picked up the little blue bird and cooed at it. Knowing what I wanted, it flew from my hands. A beautiful blue feather floated down behind it.

Watch out Vaughn, here I come.


	8. Happy End

_**~Vaughn~**_

The forest was getting darker by the moment and Chelsea was nowhere to be seen. I was hurt. Did she stand me up because she was sick, or did she have plans with that new boy, Mark? He likes her, no doubt about that. But I thought she felt something for me…

Suddenly out of nowhere, Chelsea appeared.

"Ha, Vu, you speak your thoughts out loud. So Mark likes me, eh? I wouldn't have known. I would never stand you up, Vaughn. But just so you know, you tend to be extremely cute when you're angry. And I do have feelings for you." She looked at me with those icy blue eyes, and I knew. I pulled her into an embrace, and looked at how the moonlight shimmered in her eyes. I tilted her head up to mine, and slowly, I placed my lips on hers. She reached up and hung her arms around my neck, and I hesitantly put mine on her hips. After what seemed like a century, I pulled away.

"Wait, Vu? What kind of nickname is that? But that's beside the point… Chelsea, I…"

_**~Chelsea~**_

"Vaughn, I…"

Staring each other dead in the eye, we both said those same three words at the exact same time: "I love you."

Reaching into my jeans pocket, I pulled out my blue feather, and Vaughn did the same.

"I always thought you hated me, Vaughn. But now, I have my doubts about my mind." I smiled up into his crimson face and he nearly turned blue.

I kissed him again, and he trembled.

"Forever?" He asked.

"And always." I replied.

Hand in hand, Chelsea and Vaughn walked into the dark forest to the church, to plan their happily ever after.


End file.
